Lap pin



S P 1954 R. J. HIGGINBOTHAM 88,452

LAP PIN Filed Aug. 15. 1950 FIG 4 FIG- 3 I INVENTOR. R. J. HIGGINBOTHAM Patented Sept. 7, 1954 UNITED STATES PAT ENT OFFICE LAP PIN Robert J. Higginbotham, Charlotte, N. C. Application August 15, 1950, Serial No. 179,434 1 Claim. (01. 242 -551) This invention relates to pickers of the type employed in textile mills and more particularly to a lap pin on which a lap roll is formed.

In devices of this nature the cotton lap is formed by the lap machines by winding a batt or layer of cotton upon a shaft, commonly denoted as a lap pin. After the roll is formed the lap pin is withdrawn and a lap stick inserted in its place to facilitate handling of the roll. Instead of forcing a lap stick into the roll after withdrawal of the lap pin, the lap pin has oftentimes been provided with a hollow shaft for housing the lap stick which is left in the roll as the pin is withdrawn; for further illustration of the latter, reference is made to the patents to Clayton, 355,508 and Wilson. 2,105,064. Although the embodiment of the present invention is described as a lap pin of the solid type, it is understood that the invention is not restricted to such construction but is intended to embrace a lap pin having a lap stick .combined therewith of the general type shown in the patents mentioned.

In lapper pickers the batt is generally wound tightly on the lap pin, the pin having a shaft protruding from its ends which is carried by suitable gudgeons or bearings during the Winding operation. After the winding is completed the pin is removed from the gudgeons and withdrawn from the batt. Due to the friction between the pin and the contacting portion of the tightly wound batt, withdrawal of the pin has proved to be a, problem. One solution has been to provide a pin of substantially frusto-conical contour, the base of the cone being near the handle portion of the pin, i. e., the portion which is withdrawn first from the batt. Such configuration of the pin facilitates withdrawal as it permits expansion of the batt radially inwardly as the pin is withdrawn and offers less resistance than the conventional cylindrical pin. However, difliculties are encountered in winding a lap roll onto a frusto-conical pin so that the lap roll will be substantially cylindrical and even at its sides and, furthermore, the gudgeons supporting the shaft of the pin are frequently forced out of alignment and excessive wear is caused as a result of the uneven pressure at the ends of the pin.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lap pin particularly constructed for easy withdrawal from the lap roll and possessing the advantages of the conventional cylindrical pin insofar as the winding process is concerned.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a lap pin constructed particularly to conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a sectional view through a lap roll showing in elevation a lap pin constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2, an enlarged elevation partially in section illustrating the details of construction of the lap pm;

Fig. 3, a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4, a section on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, a lap pin I0 is illustrated having a lap roll R wound thereabout in Fig. l. The lap pin comprises a main body ll having a shaft l2, l2 extending from either end of the body and a handle I 3 connected to the shaft l2.

The main body ll of the lap pin is of substantially cylindrical configuration and has a plu-' rality of spaced grooves l4 separated by a plurality of lands l5, the grooves being relatively shallow at the end of the main body nearer the handle I3 as shown in Fig. 4 and gradually becoming deeper toward the other end of the main body, as shown in Fig. 3. It will be observed that the peripheral surfaces of the lands l5 increase in direct ratio to the decrease in the depth of the grooves M which separate the lands. Thus, the arcuate outer edge of each land as viewed in Fig. 3 is of a substantially sharper radius than the outer edge of said land as viewed in Fig. 4 and the lap roll will, of necessity, have only point contact with the lands at the inner extremity of the lap pin remote from the handle I3 and will contact a substantially greater peripheral portion of said lands adjacent the outer end of the pin. With the configuration thus described, each land is provided with an arcuate surface of continually increasing radius from the inner to the outer end of the lap pin, the radius at the outer end of each land approaching that of the lap pin per se. The surface of revolution gen erated by revolution of the tops of the lands I5 about the axis of the pin is a cylinder. Thus the lap roll may be wound evenly on the main body ll without the disadvantages normally accompanying the use of a frusto-conical pin. The surface of revolution generated by revolving the bottoms of the grooves about the axis of the pin is frusto-conical, and thus the advantages of the use of a frusto-conical pin are provided without the accompanying disadvantages.

In operation thetlap pin is placed in gu'dgeons. carrying the shaft" 12' and i2" and the lap roll is wound thereon. Then the in and roll are removed from the gudgeons, and an operator, by

grasping the handle 13 and twisting it slightly as he pulls, may remove the lap pin from the roll. Because of the increasing depth of the grooves toward the free end of the'pin; the. roll:

may expand radially inwardly as the pin is removed in a manner analogous to removing a,

frusto-conical member.

The invention isbest carried out by providing the helix as described. in order that twisting as well as axial force may facilitate its-removalbut my invention is intended to include the: broader embodiment in .its scope;

The embodiment of the invention described is thus a lappin having a shaft extending from its ends and having amain body of substantially cylindricalconfiguration with grooves inits-sur face tapering indepth from one end-thereof toward the other and. preferably being: arranged helically about the axis of the pin.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in th invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore this invention is not limited by that which is shown in the drawings nor by that which is described in the specification, but only as set forth in the appended claim.

I claim:

A lap pin comprising an elongated main body ofcylindrical cross section having grooves extending from the inner end to the outer end thereof, said grooves being formed along the surface of said body in a slight clockwise helical direction and decreasing in depth from the inner end to the outer end thereof, and lands between said grooves, each of said lands having an arcuate surface of continually increasing radius from the irmer end to the outer end of said lap pin in direct ratio to the decrease in depths of said grooves, the radius at the outer end of each land approaching that of the lap pin to provide a peripheral surface of' greater extent References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,130,599 Redman Sept. 20, 1938 2,388,774 Tice Nov. 13', 1945 

